Brighton teacher gets an MBE

Alison Browning, a challenge co-ordinator at Varndean School has received her award for services to young people at the school, by enabling hundreds of them to complete the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and to be recognised for their charitable works, during a 30 year career of exceptional dedication and commitment to education.

Alison started teaching maths in 1980 in Stratford, east London, and became head of maths at Varndean in 1991.

By 2000 she had joined the senior leadership team, having a variety of roles, including exams officer, charity and enrichment lead and information, advice and guidance lead for students post-16.

Alison has built links across the city, developed a careers enrichment programme for year 10 students and subsequently took over as chair of the Brighton and Hove IAG partnership with all schools and 6th form colleagues.

Alison has also been the driving force behind a hugely successful Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programme at Varndean.

She started running the programme in 2010, and expanded the numbers of participating students enormously. The school now has regular cohorts of around 100 students taking part in the bronze award each year and around 25 taking the silver award. To date she has seen approximately 640 start their bronze and 100 on silver. Our competition rates run well above national levels and give opportunities and challenges to our young people that enable them to discover skills and strengths they might not otherwise have known they possessed.